Acts 17.7 records, they are all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, named Jesus.
Would you commit treason against your culture to identify personally with Jesus Christ? Have you committed treason against Jesus by denying Him before others? What about with your actions and lack of words?
The Bible portrays two ultimate rulers before whom we will choose to surrender our allegiance. One is God, the Creator of all, the Savior of all who choose Him and the Judge of all who have ever lived. The other ruler is the deceiver, he comes only to steal, kill and destroy by convincing us that we are free to live and do as we please for ultimately we are god.
We either believe in God and so orient our lives around His supremacy over them or we believe we are god and orient our lives around our own will and ways. Too many try to do both but this is impossible.
While believing in God many continue to live lives in denial of God’s commands through their disobedience to His ways. We quickly say we have not murdered anyone or stolen anyone’s goods but we have not loved God with all of our might nor our neighbor as ourself.
The way is narrow and difficult that leads to life and few are those upon it, but broad is the road that leads to death and many are on it. Our culture is increasingly hostile to God and His ways. The intolerance for God’s opinion in the school, government and office has become accepted and commonplace in our world such that Christians daily deny Jesus by omission if not by outright commission.
Whenever we disobey God’s ways in our life we deny our love and allegiance to God. While all of us stumble and fall we cannot live daily in denial of our Savior and pretend that He is good with our behavior. What can we do to prove our allegiance to Jesus?
First, wherever we work, in school, government or office, gather with other Christians and begin to meet weekly for prayer and Bible study in order to encourage one another to live faithfully to the will and ways of Jesus.
Second, refuse to disobey God by remaining silent about Him when His ways are being violated. Stop helping to implement evil but stand up for good. To do this well you will have to become a much better student of God’s Word so that you know unequivocally what God wants from us and the behavior He expects from us.
Finally, share with others why you have given your allegiance to Jesus the Savior. Don’t be rude or weird about your story but pray for, then take, every opportunity to identify yourself with Jesus so that others can know Him too; this is the work we are expected to accomplish in our brief stay in this world.
God will measure us all on that day when He judges all. Let us not be found wanting for evidence that we truly loved Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.
He promised men would hate us even as they hated Him but great would be His eternal reward to those He found faithful when He returned to claim those who are His own.